Pan Seared Alaskan Halibut with Arugula, Butternut Squash, Spicy Vinaigrette and Bella Mushrooms

Okay, last one for today.  I had a bit of a backlog of recipes I wanted to post :) This one's a bit different from what I usually post.  It was somewhat involved, but so crazy easy, and even crazier delicious!

Rob had thawed out some of the halibut he had caught on a recent fishing trip to Alaska, and I had some butternut squash I wanted to use (I'm on a major squash kick right now).

Enter: technology.

I Googled "halibut and butternut squash" not actually thinking something would jump out at me, and lo and behold, I found this recipe!  I had to make a few substitutions, but nothing major.  I also included mushrooms.  I felt like having mushrooms :)  The flavors all worked together really well!

Ingredients 

2 halibut filets (approximately 6-7 ounces each)
1 large butternut squash, diced
Arugula (as much as you want to use!  I used more since there were three of us dining)
1/4 red onion, shaved or sliced very thin
2 tsp aged balsamic vinegar (and a splash of rice vinegar!)
1 oz extra virgin olive oil
1/3 tsp of spicy brown mustard
1/3 tsp of honey
Sea salt and pepper

Mushrooms

One package sliced Bella mushrooms, rinsed; sauté to liking in a small pan with olive oil; sprinkle with parmesan cheese on plate.

Instructions 

1. Make the vinaigrette by mixing the vinegar, mustard, honey, and 1 oz of extra virgin olive oil
2. Sear the halibut in a hot pan with olive oil
3. Once the halibut is browned on one side, flip the filets, turn down the heat just a bit, and continue until cooked through
4. While the halibut is cooking, in a separate pan sauté the diced butternut squash in butter until golden brown (make sure the squash is not over cooked and mushy)
5. In a mixing bowl, toss the arugula and onions with the vinaigrette (hold back a portion of the vinaigrette to spoon over the top of the halibut)
6. To plate, place the arugula salad mixture in the center of the plate and top with the halibut filet
7. Dress the top of the fish with a spoonful of the sherry vinaigrette, and then the butternut squash

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I'm on a roll.  So roll with me.

Something savory, now something sweet (as that is what I love best)!

I found the below recipe HERE and it was so perfect that I didn't change anything.  Oh, except for the amount of oatmeal.  I reduced it from 3 cups to 2 cups...it would have been too dry.

These are SO GOOD.  Much lighter than a cookie somehow (even though they are just as sinfully awesome).  I suggest topping a fresh-from-the-oven square with a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream (or vanilla, if that's your gig) and enjoying immediately.  

Ingredients: 

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour*
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
2 cups rolled ("old-fashioned") oats
12 ounces (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips (I also sprinkled extra on top...that's how I roll)

Instructions: 

1. Cream butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla with electric mixer on high.

2. Stir in flour, salt, and baking soda, all at the same time. Stir in oats. Last, add chocolate chips and stir them in (or use clean hands, if the dough is too stiff).

3. Press cookie dough into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Dough should be somewhat flattened, but it's okay for some cracks to remain. :)

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until lightly golden and cookies are set in the middle.

5. Cool for 20 minutes; cut into squares (the original recipe said it would yield 24 squares, but, c'mon, that would have made them tiny so my pan yielded 12 squares, Paige Size :))

Enjoy!

Cheesy Spaghetti Bake

Who's ready for some cheese???

This chick is, I know that for sure!  If it were even somewhat advisable to live off of nothing but cheese, I would.  Or sushi.  That one I could do without issue.  Nothing but cheese might...back things up.

Anywho!

I asked Geof what he felt like for dinner last night, and he said, "something with cheese."  So that's what I did.  I found the following great recipe online and tweaked it to my liking.  No, it's not exactly healthy, but it sure is fantastic comfort food, and easy to make.  It was met with rave reviews.  If you want it to be a little heartier, I suggest adding the beef (as in the original recipe) or something cool like tofu, tempeh, chicken sausage, etc.

Now, kick back, relax, and imagine yourself in a cozy (well insulated) log cabin with the snow falling outside the window (which looks out onto an enormous pasture at the foot of the mountains), a fire going in the fireplace, plenty of fleece and/or flannel, and perhaps a glass of vino.  Then read the below recipe...and also try it.  It's delish!

Ingredients

• 1 16oz package spaghetti1/2 red onion, finely chopped16 ounces spaghetti sauceSalt & Pepper, to taste2 tablespoons butter2 tablespoons whole wheat flour12 ounces evaporated milk1 cup shredded parmesan cheese1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, DIVIDED1 teaspoon oregano
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F Grease a 13x9-inch baking dish; set aside.  (I forgot to grease the glass baking dish, and it was fine.  Not sure it would be so in a metal dish, however.  So, get greasy with it.)
2. Boil spaghetti noodles to al dente according to package; drain.
3. While spaghetti is boiling, brown the onion in a skillet. Add the spaghetti sauce to the skillet.
4. Add the hot, cooked, drained spaghetti to the skillet; stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
5. In a saucepan, melt butter; add the flour, stirring constantly to make a roux. Slowly whisk in the evaporated milk.
6. Turn heat to low and stir in the parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup only of the mozzarella. stir constantly until melted and smooth.
7. Pour the cheese mixture evenly over the spaghetti in the 13 x 9 dish.
8. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of parmesan cheese and then the oregano.

     9. Bake; uncovered, for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly/starting to brown on top.
Enjoy!

Oh My Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies!

I'm baaaaack!  And it's cookie recipe sharing time :)

Geof and I are living with friends here in Salt Lake City and one of them, Rob, has recently adopted a gluten-free diet.  At first blush I thought that sounded terrible (no beer?!).  But, it's actually been a lot of fun participating in ensuring he is following the rules, and enjoying a relatively gluten-free diet ourselves (FYI, there is gluten free beer :)).  You wouldn't believe how much stuff has gluten in it!  Wow!  It became almost instantly second nature to check the labels of everything.

In any event, I had the urge to bake this week, and in the interest of ensuring all members of the household could enjoy the fruits of my labor, I set out to find a decent gluten-free cookie recipe.

Ask and ye shall receive!

The cookies came out great and are so delicious!  They won rave reviews and glowing praise.  I will definitely be making these again.  You would never guess there was zero gluten...no flour, no oil.  Just pure awesome.

I adapted this recipe from Make It Naked, a great little blog.

Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies (makes about 4 dozen cookies)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1¼ teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup peanut butter (I used all natural PB and it worked great)
3 cups rolled oats (gluten free)
6 oz chocolate chips (NOTE: I used raisins as we didn't have chocolate chips)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cream together the butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy.
3. Add the eggs, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix. Add peanut butter and mix.
4. Add the oats and raisins (or chocolate chips...or both!). Mix slowly until combined.
5. Scoop about a teaspoon of dough onto a greased or parchment-covered cookie sheet.
6. Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly brown at edges. Remove and let cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!

Kickin' Quinoa Kale

This picture makes me giddy...it is so pretty!

This was lunch today, and I loved every bite.  I think we're getting pretty good at creating some pretty power packed lunches: good (read: real) protein, complex carbs, dark leafy greens, good fats and a whole lotta flavor.  Perfect food for training peaks and valleys :)

Todays's concoction was perfect for two lunches.  I eyeballed everything so there's no specific measurements, except for two ingredients.  Are you sensing a kale theme here, or is it just me...? ;)

Kickin' Quinoa Kale

Red quinoa
Kale, hand torn
Cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 avocado, chopped
Coarsely ground black pepper
Garlic powder
Crushed red pepper (gives it a good kick!)
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
Shredded mozzarella cheese

I nuked mine for one minute and enjoyed it immensely!

The only thing that could have added a little something extra would have been some sriracha sauce :)  We're kind of on a sriracha kick of late.

Filling, beautiful to look at, and tasty to the max.

Enjoy!

Paradise Found

It is not paradise, per se, but rather man's impression of what paradise should be.  Green and lush, but perfectly controlled.  Safe, and controlled.  Off in the not-too-far-off distance you can hear the hum of the highway, see the metallic frames of poles ensuring our paradise is adequately electrified.  The nature preserve is perfectly coiffed, and wildness is contained in the way only humans can do...clean lines, manicured, pleasing to the eye.  It's no wilderness.  But try telling that to the dozens upon dozens of species of birds that occupy this area.  Green, yellow, crimson, black, white.  Hawkish, flitting, curious, predatory.  They sing songs we know not the words of, but still cast one into a dreamlike state.  A birdwatcher I am.

It's home; relocated, warmer.  It could be anywhere.  In town it is an aural rush, mixed with all the rowdiness and awkwardness of a once quiet village now alive solely for the tourist.  Visitors leave propriety and modesty at home and unleash an inner self seldom shared in public.  Colors abound and the air is thick with native song.  The promenade could be in any beach town.  Our homeland has clearly influenced the culture here. 

But the food, oh the food!  Decadently authentic if you scope the right spot.  A rich chocolatey and fruity mole sauce drowning perfectly juicy pieces of pollo.  Smooth and completely satisfying.  Guacamole unlike any I've ever had.  Silken and creamy, spicy and refreshing. Though, the view from my seat at Mi Pueblo is discomforting.  The lure of quiet shared seclusion is far more appealing to these two weary travelers. 

Tanned bodies lay sleeping under limp umbrellas.  Beach lounges are crammed in side by side in either direction for as far as you can see.  Sardines come to mind.  Every 10 or so yards is a new establishment blaring everything from local sounds to bollywood's finest.  The sand drops off 3-4 feet where the tide smacks up against this man-made wall of sand.  Hand scooped 'stairs' are carved into this wall every so often.  Children woop and laugh uncontrollably as the waves move in and out.  Their smiles are infectious.  The sand is like silk and the light breeze carries coconut and oil on it.  The sea is a dozen different shades of blue and aqua.  It is precisely what you see on postcards.

Gracious ruins hold down the fort, high atop limestone cliffs, the Sea butting serenely up against the walls.  The sun shines hot and sizzles unscreened skin.  History abounds within these walls.  It has held fast to its truth as best it could, but is slowly losing its grip to the strong arm of modern culture.  You would not believe the color of the Sea.  No photo can really do it justice.  Cerulean and  aqua, navy and turquoise.  Crystal clear and welcoming. 

Outside the walls of the ruins you are thrust into the arms of a bustling tourist community.  Brilliant colors, loud music, sweaty bodies, roaming dogs, native children running around giddily and barefoot.  Acrobats dangle precariously by their ankles from a totem pole in the center of the town, spinning with arms outstretched. 

The sunrise and sunset works hard to do us one better but nothing beats the awe of a sunrise over the Lake.  I yearn for home briefly but am re-intoxicated by the warm and relaxed air. 

Sitting on the balcony, listening to the birds conducting their morning symphony, the warm familiarity of a hot mug of coffee resting on my chest, wrapped up in comfort, I squint into the sunrise and look over at my husband engrossed in his book.  I pick mine back up and dive right back into my adventure.  Time passes without a hint, but what does it matter.  We've got nothing to do and all the time to do it. 

This is paradise...

Garlic Herb Bread

I made bread!  And it didn't suck!  Granted, I really only hunted and gathered all the ingredients, read and re-read the recipe 40 bazillion times, and then dumped it all, in the proper order, into the bread machine.  So I guess the bread machine did all the real work :)  But for all intents and purposes, I made bread and it was good. 

I can't believe how easy it was.  We have a West Bend bread machine and it is pretty great.  I have never done anything like this before, and I've never even really seen a bread machine...except for when we moved and I carried it into the kitchen from the old apartment.  That's about it. 

I inventoried our cupboards and determined we had very little on the ingredients list, so to the market we went.  Yeast is weird.  I've only ever seen Kevin stirring it up somethin' fierce at the holidays when he makes these really amazing rolls that go with dinner.  I've never actually participated in the yeast'ing of anything, so I was a touch intimidated, but there was no need to be :)

Basically, just add the ingredients in the exact order below...this is important.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup water (70 to 80 degrees F...I nuked it for 1 minute in the microwave...and yes, the temp of the water is important)
• 2 teaspoons butter, softened (you can also sub with olive oil if you like)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups bread flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt (I used kosher sea salt)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (I used one full 1/4 oz. packet and it was just fine :))

Directions

1. In the bread machine pan, place all ingredients in the order listed above. Select Basic bread setting. Choose crust color and loaf size if available (our machine doesn't have these options). Bake according to bread machine directions (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed...I ended up adding 1 tablespoon of water as it looked a little dry).  

The prep was quick and easy, and the total bread machine time was around 3 hours and 10 minutes.                

And that's that!  It was incredibly tasty!  Golden crispy, but not too crispy, crust, and a warm moist center that has a great density to it.  It is perfect :)  We immediately enjoyed a slice with butter...yum.  Then we decided that wasn't enough of a sample size and that we'd better expand our research/tasting efforts, so we dipped it in olive oil with shredded parmesan cheese.  Whoa.  That was a whole lotta yum.  The herb flavors are there, but not in your face.  I could taste more of the rosemary and thyme, but Geof said he could taste the garlic.  I thought the garlic was pretty subtle, but I wouldn't add any more than I did.  This would be perfect with any sort of Italian dish, or just by itself...in excess ;)

I scooped this recipe from HERE in case you want to read any of the reviews and see how others adapted the recipe, including for the oven (instead of a bread machine). 

Enjoy!